Never Say Never, Ever
by HOTW
Summary: McCoy tries to explain to Spock the reasons why Chapel and her friends pulled a stunt in the swimming pool. Spock understands better than anyone knows! He also knows what be wants and what he wants is no secret! Christine wonders- Do Dreams really do come true?
1. Chapter 1

Never Say Never Ever

My first fan fiction;inspired by TrekFan24905!

Disclaimer- Star Trek is owned by those Big Guys and I take inspiration from the characters they created. This is just for fun!

The crew gossiped about it for weeks; they couldn't believe what they saw with their own eyes or those who didn't see it were eager to listen to the whole telling of the tale many times over. Miss Chapel had pantsed Mr Spock at the pool after being dared to by her buddies, Uhura and Rand! It was a tale that refused to die and it was beginning to tell on Mr Spock's patience as he began to wear his poker face all the time and even refused to cock his able eyebrow as snickers followed him everywhere he went on the ship. He wasn't safe from the gossips as he went about his daily business, the Rec Room, the Mess hall, even the bridge at times was unbearable as Sulu and Chekov openly joked about the dangers of the swimming; he had not put in an appearance at the pool since and everyone noticed. Even Jim couldn't keep a straight face at times and he began to wonder if it would ever die down.

Bad enough he had been pantsed, but the large size of the crowd filled disproportionately with female crew members ensured that descriptions of his genitals was the main topic of the fact that Miss Chapel showed no signs of remorse in her actions and was even enjoying a bit of notoriety amongst the crew made the situation a bit more sensitive than he desired. Unable to even consider putting her under disciplinary action, for how would he explain this to his parents, made the situation more aggravating. Jim kept telling him to show a little humour about it, it was just in fun, but since Spock had trouble at times understanding the concept of fun, it puzzled him why being exposed in this manner or even the newest rash of skinny dipping (why do they call it that if not all people who do it are not thin?) in the pool, was considered a rite of passage then why was it acceptable behavior amongst adult humans?

He sought out McCoy, for even as the most eccentric of those in his circle, McCoy quite often was able to make a plausible explanation of the issue; even though the cutting edge of his wit tended to be directed at Spock too often for him to feel comfortable most of the time, McCoy was very good at psychology and was able to explain the strangest behaviors in a professional manner, when the desire so struck him. So it was this ability that brought them to be walking the corridors where the chance of the conversation being overheard was less likely.

"Ya'See here Spock, it's not about trying to embarass you it's about trying to make you a member of the group!" MCCoy said exhasperatedly, "You walk around with that dignity stick up your butt and sometimes we'all just want to yank it out and bring you back down to our level!"

Spock raised an eyebrow "So McCoy, it is about teamwork? Are you saying that removing my dignity by stealing my trunks in full view of a large compliment of the ship's crew makes them all feel better about working with me? I do not believe it is true because my lab assistants have had deplorable results since the incident by the pool; they continue to make mistakes I would expect of a child"

McCoy rolled his eyes "Dammit Spock! It just makes you seem more human! Can't you understand that most of this crew just cannot see past that blank mask you show them and realize there is a Person behind it or is that just too difficult for you to understand!?" McCoy was losing his patience with the green hobgoblin once again and it was beginning to show

"Can't you just take it as the rest of them and accept that for once they are actually gossiping about you and relaxing around you rather than running terrified out the door when you make an appearance! Give it a break! Soon they'll be gossiping about someone else, it never takes long! The longer you try to act like it didn't happen the worse they will get"

Just as McCoy was gathering speed for a full blown tirade they both heard the voices coming from around the bend of the corridor. Spock recognized one as being one of the Ensigns assigned to his current experiment in Lab 3.

"I tell you I was sitting right beside where Mr Spock was standing when Nurse Chappel pantsed him! I saw EVERYTHING! Right at eye level too! And all I can say is 'Wow", whoever gets in his pants for real is gonna have a very happy time!"

"Really? So the rumour is true? He's a Show-er not a Grow-er!? Why didn't Chapel know the answer?"

"Oh, I overheard her telling Uhura and Rand she didn't even think to look she just wanted to get his trunks off and out of there before he had a chance to realize what was going on and grabbed her! Oh and Definately a Show-er! I tell you, I couldn't take my eyes off it, it's even coloured...EEP"

Face to face with Spock and McCoy now, the two Ensigns blushed bright red, speechless, as Spock raised his eyebrow up. They quickly scooted around the Officers and ran down the corridor as fast as they could go. Spock turned to look at McCoy

"Show-er?"

McCoy grinned "I'll tell you what it means later Spock. As for..."

At this moment they passed the entryway for the exercise deck and Spock could not help but notice Nurse Chapel standing poolside talking animatedly with her partners in crime, Rand and Uhura. Continuing on, he had an idea creep into his head. Looking at McCoy he asked,

"Don't get Mad, get Even, McCoy? Is that your prescription for this issue?"

McCoy laughed

"Sounds like a good idea Spock!" As he glanced sideways he realized that Spock was no longer beside him, he wasn't even in the corridor with him. He made it back to the entrance to the exercise room just in time to see Spock nimbly untie the two strings to Christine's Bikini top, place his hand between her shoulder blades and give her a shove that toppled her into the pool; following her in with a neat dive he came up from under the water with an amused look on his face. As Christine's screech echoed. the silence fell quickly and as every crew member present turned to see what was going on, Spock hauled himself out of the pool and waited for her to reach the side. As she reached for her swimsuit he held the two pieces in his hand out of her reach, raised his eyebrow, cocked his head and said,

"Miss Chapel, I am glad to notice that despite the rumours to the contrary, you are indeed a natural blond"

Turning around to see McCoy right behind him with his mouth agape, he handed him a scrap of material.

"I will allow you to return this to her as she should be allowed some dignity in getting out of the pool, unlike when she pantsed me" and continued out the exercise room. McCoy looked at the article in his hands and realized he held only the bottom of her suit. Tossing it to Christine, he ran after Spock and upon reaching him, Spock raised an eyebrow(damn that eyebrow!) and announced

"I believe that answers the question 'Does the carpet match the curtains?'"

McCoy was speechless as Spock continued down the corridor

"Spock you forgot to give me the rest of her suit!"

"I did not 'forget' Dr McCoy, I believe the expression is 'Posession is 9/10ths of the law'?"

McCoy raised his eyebrow


	2. Chapter 2

Possession is 9/10ths

Disclaimer- Star Trek is owned by those Big Guys and I take inspiration from the characters they created. This is just for fun!

"He did WHAT?!"

McCoy grabbed his napkin and blotted off the coffee which now decorated his tunic, courtesy of the spew from Kirk's mouth.

"Damndest thing I ever saw; I tell you Jim, I think we better watch what we say when we're around that green pointy eared hobgoblin! I about died when he made the carpet curtains comment!"

"Bones, we have never discussed that with him, I can't even think of making that comment ever in front of you!" Jim picked his brain, trying to think of when it might have been a topic of discussion and coming up with nothing. McCoy loooked over at the next table at the heated argument going on between Chekov and Scotty and realization struck him suddenly as to when Spock might have picked up on the saying.

"Jim, do you remember the hijinks after the last Shore Leave? How crazy it was here in the Mess? Scotty and Chekov were a little too happy after a few nights hitting the bars?" Jim looked over at the two of them and chuckled, remembering their topic of conversation that day.

"That's right, Spock was playing chess with the computer while they were arguing about who had a better time. Wasn't the theme at the festival 'Mardi Gras'? I do recall the Venusians showed a bit more than was expected during the bead giveaways!" Bones grinned widely at the memory; Kirk recalled he had disappeared with one of the Venusians after the parade thru the streets. "So do you think he figured out what they were talking about?"

"He must have figured out what it means; he seems to be using a bit more of the vernaculars of our speech to taunt us. When he said 'Don't get mad, get even' it took me a few seconds to realize he'd even said it. I tell you Jim, it startled the hell out of me when he pushed Christine in the pool like that and then when he said - Hell I can't even repeat it to myself! Although I will say, the rumour mill has totally stopped discussing him and Christine is pissed! I don't dare say a word to her for fear she might give me a hypo of nightmare juice! I was smiling the other day at a message Joanne sent me about the kids and I thought she was going to strangle me, she is one unhappy camper! She..." Kirk looked up from his coffee as McCoy broke off suddenly and followed his gaze to where Christine was walking across the Mess to the Replicators. Noticing how quiet the room was he glanced around quicky and noted that all eyes were following the tall blond, who was beginning to flush red with annoyance. As she retrieved her order from the Replicator and turned around, everyone was suddenly very busy with their meals and the buzzing of conversations was just a little too contrived to be natural. Christine looked around and spotting the Captain and McCoy, headed in their direction. The two Officers looked at each other and could see the panic in each others' eyes when suddenly Christine turned quickly and made her way over to the table where Uhura and Rand were sitting.

"Whew, that was close..." Kirk began when he was interrupted by the Baritone of his First Officer

"To what distance are you referring to, Captain?" Spock sat in his usual chair and faced the two men. "It seemed Miss Chapel wanted to discourse with you when I entered the room;she seemed distraught about something?" As he looked pointedly at each of his friends, Kirk spotted the twinkle he had in his eye, and knew Spock was aware of exactly what the dynamic in the room was. He was almost sure Spock had timed his entrance to the most dramatic time and he waited for the eyebrow to rise and was not disappointed to see it happen. McCoy shifted in his chair,

"Well Spock, it seems you have given the gossips new fodder, are you happy now?" McCoy did not appear to show any of his usual merriment

"Why Doctor, you yourself expressed the opinion that the gossips would soon be talking about someone else; I merely saw a situation which would give them their new subject." Spock cocked his head "Is that not correct?" Kirk sputtered into his coffee and waited to hear McCoy's response; McCoy was not amused at his reaction.

"Are you sure you didn't just single out Christine to get a little bit of revenge for what she did to you?" McCoy blasted back at Spock and wanting to yank down the eyebrow as it lifted towards his browline.

"I can assure you Doctor, if it had been Uhura or Rand in the same location I would have done the exact same thing, I was merely using your solution to the situation. It was quite logical."

"Logical, my ass, Spock! You just couldn't resist embarassing Chris! Bad enough she had never worn a Bikini before; Uhura convinced her she had the figure to carry one; you go and yank it off in front of everyone! It's taken Uhura months to convince Chris it isn't the worst thing in the world to wear one and to have you do- Do- DO...and what you said! I can't even think the words! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I did not 'yank it off' McCoy, I 'pantsed' her in the water to prevent her from full exposure and I was merely making an observation that the Gossipers were not correct about. I did not 'think' it was a subject that was objectionable and also, I fail to understand the Human obsession with breasts."

"Well Spock, since you've proabably never had the experience to understand ..." McCoy began before he was interrupted by the First Officer

"Doctor, I can assure you I was nursed by my Mother, just as any other infant is on Vulcan. I do not comprehend why all the males are calling Miss Chapel's breasts all sorts of strange names. What does 'Bodaceous TaTa's' have to do with mammary tissue?" McCoy and Kirk looked over Spock's shoulder and visibly ducked their heads

"Why Mr Spock, so nice to see you this morning" as Spock looked up, he was drawn into the steely depths of Christine's eyes; it registered to him that they were the colour of the Deltan Sapphires in his Mother's favorite necklace - a gift from his Father when he was born. As Christine bent forward he kept his eyes squarely on her face as her neckline tended to gap in that position, he knew this from experience as a patient under her care in Sickbay. "My Bikini top seems to be missing, I want it back! I paid a lot of credits for that suit and you seem to have appropriated it!" Spock could see both Jim and McCoy grinning at the fact that Miss Chapel seemed to have forgotten that her short skirt would be giving the entire room a nice view of her posterior. Sitting up straighter which forced her to stand up to avoid a collision of their foreheads, he solved the issue of the many males laviciously enjoying that which he himself could not view, he cocked his head and replied,

"Miss Chapel, it seems you have forgotten that you appropriated my trunks weeks ago and I have yet to receive them back. Since I do not indulge in swimming often, they were the only pair in my possesion and I have been unable to attend to my duties as a Lifeguard since. " Spock watched a guilty expression flash across her face

"If you recall, Mr Spock, I gave those to Janice as I left the Deck" she replied in triumph. Spock raised his eyebrow and seemed to consider her words; Christine gloated at him

"According to the rumours, Miss Rand returned them to you and they seem to have taken up residence in your quarters, in a place of prominence, from what I understand" a trace of amusement was definately present in his voice and Jim found himself trying hard not to laugh as he could see what direction this battle of wills was going to take. Although he found his respect of the quiet reserved Nurse going up a few notches; most crew members preferred to avoid taking on Spock in a debate, much less one of such a personal nature and it was going to be interesting to see just where this whole conversation was going to lead them. He could see McCoy grinning from ear to ear- he was having as much fun as he was!

Christine sputtered-not many people were allowed in her quarters and she tried to figure out who might have been the teller of tales. Looking over her shoulder at Uhura amd Janice, she gave them a dark look and they both shrugged their shoulders;whoever it was, and by the expressions on their faces it definately was not them, they were as flummoxed as her as to the tattletale! Glancing around the room she noticed that Scotty and Chekov were a little too interested in the bottoms of their coffee mugs so she had a pretty good suspicion who the Gossipers were; in fact, didn't she have to have Scotty do an overhaul on her door when her security code failed to work several weeks ago? Both he and Chekov were puzzled about the whole thing, they couldn't understand why the coding went haywire but she was sure they had had a good view into her quarters and were most likely the culprits spreading the word about Spock's trunks; she knew neither of them had the computer know-how to hack the security system..

"YOU! It was you who hacked the security on my door!" With each word she poked Spock in the chest as an emphasis; watching him flinch gave her a smatter of satisfaction that he was uncomfortable with the anger she was broadcasting. "You lousy...but if you hacked the code how come you didn't retrieve your trunks?" she looked Spock straight in the eye and saw the slight narrowing of his eyes. Why was he doing that, she wondered, realizing she was thinking at that very moment, in the back of her mind, that every time she heard mention of his trunks, hanging on the wall above her desk, she couldn't help but imagine how sexy the curve of his behind was before she toppled him in the pool. His eyes widened and she realized her finger was still touching his chest and he could hear every thought rambling thru her mind; jerking it back she took a deep breath. Standing up ramrod straight she headed for the door, hoping her blush would keep under control until she was out of the room, Uhura and Rand close behind her. Spock cleared his throat, looked at the Captain and CMO and noticing the chrono, decided it was best to head to the Bridge for Alpha shift. As he exited the room, the silence remained unbroken behind him.

"Whoo-ee! Did we really just see that!?" McCoy was way too joyous about the whole scene; Kirk decided to deflate his bubble before it got too big-

"Bones- we're both late for shift" and Jim rose and headed to the door, knowing it was going to be a long shift for everyone.

Christine sat in her chair in her quarters, pondering the morning's events and was glad she had not been assigned to work today; Leonard would have been unbearable in his glee and she would have been tempted to clobber him over the head. Hearing her bell chime go off, she wearily unlocked the lock and allowed her guest to enter. Nyota had promised to stop by with Dinner so they could curl up on the sofa and chat over Chinese and watch a Holovid.

"Ny.."

"I am most assuredly not Miss Uhura" Christine's heart leapt at the mellow baritone as she looked up to see Spock standing in her quarters. He held out his hand and placed a piece of material in hers

"This is yours and I apologize for placing you in a position that was most distressing for you." He leaned over and picked up her chain from around her neck and examined the delicate cross on the chain " I was not aware, Miss Chapel, that you grew up in a modest Christian Sect; if I had known this I would never have put you in the position I did by my actions. I can understand now why you seem so uncomfotable in your uniform and why you seem to be combatting with it all the time. You have not been trying to 'catch' people's attention but trying to keep your modesty intact. It was never my intention to make you feel violated by your exposure; if anything, I can understand it, due to Vulcan culture being very similar in certain ways. Please, do not let this incident prevent you from swimming in your suit. I also apologize for not investigating your file in more depth, it was remiss of my duties " Christine stared into Spock's eyes and felt herself start to blush. "Fascinating, I have never understood the reasons behind your tendency but I understand it now; how do you manage to work with McCoy?" his amusement showed in his eyes as he stared back at her.

"Leonard knows my upbringing and he's quite harmless, to me at least; I think he considers me his own little southern Belle and I doubt anyone would want to get in his path if they truly meant to harm me."

"I tend to agree with you, Christine, he is quite protective of you; many people have made the assumption you two are having an affair but I have always considered it more of a daughter/father relationship. Am I correct?" She nodded

"Heaven help anyone who touches his 'project', I have a feeling any man who takes up an interest in me is going to have Leonard breathing over their shoulder trying to make sure their intentions are 'honourable'" she sighed heavily, realizing that she might have implied too much, she looked up at Spock and saw understanding bloom in his eyes. Blushing bright red, she figured it was best to get him out of her quarters before she expired on the spot. Jumping up, she grabbed his trunks off the wall and handed them to him "I am so sorry about all this, my only excuse is I got so mad when Janice said I wouldn't; they assume because of my upbringing I'm always a 'good girl'. It drives me nuts sometimes! I had no idea it would get so out of hand, there is nothing I can do that will take this whole thing away. " Christine just couldn't bring herself to look at Spock, she was mortified at some of the things she had heard; things she knew he had heard. Spock took her chin in his hand and raised her face up til she was looking into his eyes. She could see the look there that he would have on his face when he would bait Leonard and her mouth fell open as he asked

"Sexy curve of my behind, Christine?" She swore she saw a hint of a smile before he bent his head and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead "I must tell you Christine, I tend to agree with McCoy's sayings 'Possession is 9/10ths of the law', we Vulcan males can be quite possessive of what we consider ours, I hope you can understand that" and turned to the door, exiting thru the already open door where Nyota Uhura was standing outside.

"Good Evening Miss Uhura. I trust you have nothing to gossip about?"


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing to Gossip About

Uhura stood there with her mouth slightly agape, she couldn't believe what she had just seen and Spock actually kiss Chris on the forehead? Did he really say those words as he passed by her? Thoughts were flying through her head when she realized that she was standing in the corridor looking a little foolish. She stepped forward and hit the door unit's chime and waited for Chris to reopen the door. As it opened she tried to figure out what to say , if anything, when she looked into Christine's wide eyes and realized she looked just a tad shell shocked; who could blame her? Even Uhura could hardly believe what she had just witnessed!

"You OK Chris?" As the two of them stared at each other Christine reached out and pulled her into her quarters, as the door slid shut she let out a small squeal and seconds later the two of them were hugging tightly and jumping up and down as if they were twelve years old again.

"Pinch me hard Ny, I want to know if this is a dream!" Christine jumped as Uhura obliged "OUCH that hurt!" They both started laughing and collapsed onto the sofa. "Where's dinner? Did you forget it?" Uhura jumped up, looking around, and opening the door, retrieved the stasis container from the hall where she must have dropped it upon seeing Spock planting that innocent kiss on Christine's forehead.

"Here it is, safe and sound! Lucky for us Pavel was called to the labs, he can smell Chinese from a mile away; he was following me from the Mess trying to get me to let him have a taste! Thank Heavens he didn't see what I saw, it would be all over the ship by now!" They giggled, Chekov was one of the worst Gossipers on the ship and together he and Scotty were jokingly called the "Old Biddies" since they were known to try to outdo each other in everything from drinking to gossiping. The thought of gossip sobered both Christine and Nyota; both realized that one word of a possible romance between Chris and Spock and Spock might back off and retreat into his Vulcan silence.

"What am I going to do?" Christine still didn't know what to make of the situation; for so long she had loved Spock and now it seemed as if the world she had known was crashing down and the idea of it scared her witless. "I have no idea why he has changed his mind, I don't think I can bear it if he isn't serious!"

"Chris, let's just let him make the next move. Right now let's have a girls night and just relax. I'm not saying one word-you know I wouldn't- but we need to let this sit and age a little like a fine wine. If Spock is interested and I'm pretty sure he is, you need to let him take the initiative. I think you should act like nothing happened and see how he reacts. You've work your heart on your sleeve long enough, time for him to show a piece of his" Uhura knew she was going to be asking some pretty serious questions of Spock, there was no way she was going to let him hurt Christine's feelings! Christine had been the subject of a lot of teasing due to her infatuation of the Vulcan and Uhura was going to make sure she was not going to be under more duress, if the First Officer thought he was going to be able to stomp all over her best friend's heart, he had another thing coming! As they settled in to watch the Holovid, Uhura allowed her mind to soften as the music of another millenia filled the room as her and Christine's favorite romance, Ghost, began to play. _If only, _Uhura thought.

The next morning, Christine was refilling supplies in Sickbay, when the CMO walked in. Grumpy was his usual state first thing until he got his coffee, so Christine didn't even greet him. He wandered over to the stasis unit and poured himself a cup and let the aroma ease him into wakefulness.

"Hey, this is real coffee! You've been holding out on me, Missy! I thought there wasn't a coffee bean left on the ship; where have you been stashing this!?" He gave Christine his goggly eyed look, and wiggled his eyebrows at her; she laughed,

"You know I never give out my secrets Leonard, besides, I had a great night last night, I'm feeling generous!" Her eyes twinkled and Bones raised his eyebrow-something was definitely up he could smell it!

"Yeah I figured you and Ny watched that silly movie again, I could hear you humming that song, 'Unclaimed Melody' from a mile away!" he loved needling Christine, he knew it was a dream of hers to dance with Spock to that song;he just didn't have the heart to tell her it would never happen- sometimes dreams should just be left to die a natural death.

"'Unchained Melody' is the name Leonard! How many times do I have to tell you that!" Christine laughed at his antics, he always claimed to not know the song but she quite often heard him singing it to himself in his office; Thank God he always kept the door closed - he had a terrible voice - and the few times he hadn't, patients woke up startled, thinking the klaxons were going off! She giggled at the memory and earned herself one of Leonard's hard stares.

"I know what you're giggling about. I will have you know I was a choir boy when I was young! Had the prettiest soprano voice in all of Georgia! Damn puberty screwed it all up!" They both cracked up and didn't notice the crew member who entered Sickbay with a rag wrapped around his hand.

"Sir? Can I get some help here?" immediately McCoy was all business,

"So how did you manage this one, Jones? You are the clumsiest person I think I've ever met! Last week you burned yourself , didn't you? And the week before that..." McCoy wandered into the next room to retrieve his hand held scanner. As soon as he was gone, the young Lieutenant jumped off the biobed and approached Christine at the medi-station.

"So have you reconsidered my offer? I can offer you a pretty good time" Jones considered himself a gift to women and found it hard to believe that the attractive blond was not interested. He knew he could make her forget her infatuation with that Vulcan and after hearing about the comment made poolside by the Vulcan, he was more determined to get into her bed than before. As she moved away, he continued to follow her and soon had her cornered; grabbing her breast, he leaned in to kiss her and was immediately aware of a vise gripping his injured hand and crushing it. Looking back, he realized the First Officer had silently entered the room and caught him in the act. He knew he had made a deadly mistake just by the look in the Vulcan's eyes; they were like obsidian stones, glinting harshly at him and Jones knew what it was like to face down a Vulcan stare. His hand began throbbing painfully as he felt two bones snap under the crushing grip of the Vulcan and he began to sweat profusely

"Dammit Chris, where the hell is my..." McCoy stopped short at the scene before him; Jones being held up by the Vulcan's grip on his injured hand and Christine with hugely wide eyes staring at the two of them. As her eyes met McCoy's he realized she had an obvious bloody hand print on her breast and Spock looked furious. Jumping forward he grabbed Spock's arm and tried to release the injured man from the iron grip.

"Spock, let him go" Christine's voice was quiet in the room but Spock immediately released the Lieutenant, who collapsed to the floor, moaning and cradling his hand. Feeling a touch on his shoulder, Bones looked up and saw Christine holding his scanner, her eyes still watching the First Officer. Grabbing it from her, he quickly scanned Jones' hand

"Dammit Spock you've broken two Metacarpals! What the Hell were you thinking?" McCoy was furious, he had never had anything like this happen under his shift, he didn't know what was wrong with Spock-he had always been careful with his strength!

"Doctor, I believe Lieutenant Jones owes Miss Chapel an apology. It was fortunate that Mr Scott notified me that the Lieutenant was on his way to Sickbay yet again. I looked up his records and it appears Mr Jones has a habit of minor injuries for the last 5 weeks which always seem to occur during Miss Chapel's shifts. I noticed Miss Uhura seemed apprehensive about Mr Scott's report and when I inquired about her anxiety, she informed me that Mr Jones has been making unwanted overtures towards Miss Chapel since he came aboard at Starbase 12 and that she has rejected his attentions multiple times. I decided to investigate and walked in on the Lieutenant manhandling Miss Chapel. I rectified the situation before her stress levels over came her" Spock's face was devoid of emotion but McCoy noticed the steeliness in his eyes

"Stress levels, Spock?"

"Yes Doctor, Miss Chapel was exceedingly pale and appeared to be close to 'fainting', as you call it" Spock's eyes moved over to Christine and McCoy's followed; seeing the bloody handprint on her uniform angered him and he tightened his grip on the hand he was treating.

"Ow ow Doctor, that hurts!"

"Serves you right, you little weasel! No one harasses my staff! You deserve to be brought up on charges! Chris, why didn't you let me know what he's been doing to you?" McCoys voice softened as he questioned her

"I...I..."

"Miss Chapel tends to believe in the best of people, Doctor, and I doubt she considered Mr Jones' attentions a threat. However Miss Uhura's instincts seem to be correct in this matter. I will be bringing the matter of Sexual harassment charges up with the Captain." Spock turned to leave "I will have Security escort the Lieutenant to the Brig when you release him from Medical, Doctor. The Captain will be asking for your and Miss Chapel's statements shortly, I am sure; please keep him informed as to your whereabouts until he has them" As he left the room Christine hurried after him. He turned to face her.

"Spock, Thank You. What you said is true, I didn't know how to deal with Jones, Thank you for coming down here. I don't know what would have happened..." She ducked her head, feeling ashamed.

"Miss..Christine. Do not thank me , thank Mr Scott and Miss Uhura-your friends are looking out for you as always. Mr Scott did not have to inform me immediately of Jones' injury, it was his concern and Nyota's that alerted me that you were in danger of some type" He touched her cheek gently "I suggest you have McCoy examine you, you looked to be in some pain when I came into the room. The Lieutenant is 'lucky' he was not compromising you more, I might not have been able to control myself if he had. If you need to take some personal time today, I understand, so will McCoy. You had best go in and help him, he seems to be rather rough on his patient at the moment" Christine realized she was hearing a lot of gasping from the patient and knew that McCoy was giving Jones' some 'just desserts'. She turned to go before McCoy did more serious injury to the man.

"Spock, I am glad I can count you among my friends." Spock's quiet reply unnerved her

"Christine, I do not 'want' to be your friend" She felt tears leap to her eyes at his words and then froze in her tracks as he continued,

"I want to be so much more" he whispered and left Sickbay. Christine closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. Cries from the next room shook her out of her reverie and she hurried to McCoy's side to help repair the now three broken bones in the poor Lieutenant's hand. She shooed McCoy away and he complied. As she hummed to herself, he racked his brain as to the melody and it came to him suddenly.

"'Someone to watch Over Me', Chris?"

She just smiled at him.


	4. Chapter 4

As usual, I own no rights to the characters!

Reviews much appreciated!

Someone to Watch Over Me

Christine sat in her quarters brushing her long hair as she prepared for bed, daydreaming about recent events; it was worth the embarrassment she had suffered after the pool incidents if Spock was finally interested in her. Who knew it took just a little Chutzpah to get him to notice her? As she sat reminiscing, she almost missed the sound of her door chime; getting up she palmed the release and was a little startled to see Mr. Spock in the corridor, he appeared almost as startled and turned his back quickly.

"Christine, I would like to inquire if you would be willing to join me for the Orchestra performance tomorrow night?" his shoulders were quite stiff she noted, as she tried not to giggle.

"Mr. Spock, I am covered from neck to toes, I don't understand why you seem to feel I am indecent; I assure you I am not going to throw myself at you because I am in my nightclothes! You can turn around, I won't bite." Although she had fantasized about such a situation she was not about to reveal those fantasies to the light of day (or night), as it were.

"Christine, please, I thought we had agreed to be less formal" Spock made no effort to turn around to face her and she was starting to wonder if she has something wrong with her; she ran her hands over her face and hair, down her gown, to make sure everything was in place. "I do not wish to distress you but your gown is in a somewhat translucent state; with the corridor in sleep mode lighting, your room is somewhat brighter than where I am presently standing" Christine gasped and looked down- and saw just how well outlined her body was against the backlighting! She knew Spock tended to be somewhat modest due to his Vulcan upbringing and as she turned to grab her robe she heard footsteps in the corridor; panicking, she reached out and grabbed Spock by the arm, at her touch he spun around and raised his eyebrows.

Hearing the low murmur of voices coming closer and not wanting to have anyone catch them together to add more gossip to the flames that already spun around the ship about the two of them, she grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled him towards her. He pulled back abruptly, tearing his shirt, and pulling her off balance, she fell towards him. He attempted to grab her as she fell but as her face made contact with his solar plexus, the breath went out of his lungs and he started to topple backwards. As they landed ungraciously on the floor in a heap, she heard his head hit the floor with a loud crack; Spock groaned and raised his head to look at her laying on his chest and Christine felt like she was 14 years old again, gangly, over tall and awkward, and the klutz of the family.

Looking up she realized she was laying prone right on top of the First Officer in a very intimate position! She scrambled to get off him as quick as she could, inadvertently kneeing him in the groin and in reaction his knee came up, catching her in the backside and shoved her forward until she felt her nose make solid contact with his forehead. Trying not to black out as the pain hit her, she realized that two pairs of boots were standing beside them. As the two of them looked upwards, Christine inwardly groaned to see the Captain and McCoy looking down at them, Leonard was literally rocking on his feet in glee and his eyes were dancing, the Captain looked just as amused and grinned widely.

"Well, what do we have here?" McCoy crowed "I swear Jim, I keep telling Spock to get some R&R but I never told him to do so on the floor!" Jim chuckled and offered a hand down to help; Spock shoved Christine off and hurriedly stood, brushing down his uniform as he did so,

"I assure you Dr., what you are witnessing is just a case of…." Spock clearly was unable to explain their situation and Christine, realizing she was in an ungracious position on the floor, pulled her nightgown down to cover herself, looked up to see what he was going to say next and realized her face was mere inches from the crotch of his pants, in fact, she had a very good view of the bulge there. Blushing, she quickly got her legs underneath her and attempted to rise, whereas Spock, in an attempt to help her attain an upright stature, bent to help her and the top of her head collided with his aquiline nose with enough force to break it as his forehead had broken hers. As she stepped back their eyes met and they both raised their hands to their perspective injured body parts and she began to giggle; Spock raising his eyebrows didn't help, and she began laughing in earnest, holding her stomach as it began to hurt

"Just call me Curly!" she guffawed. Bones grabbed her by the arm and turning to the Captain told him-

"I'll take Tweedle Dee and Dum down to sickbay and fix 'em up before they end up killing each other. Come On Spock, we don't need to have everyone asking how you both managed to break your noses at the exact same time!" With that he began to drag Christine down the corridor, a happy smile on his face as he ran the entire scenario through his head. This past week has been more fun than the previous year, in his opinion!

"Curly, Dr.? I do not understand the reference." Spock asked, catching up with the two of them, albeit it with a funny hitch in his gait

"Curly was a character in old time movies, what used to be referred as slapstick- where physical comedy was used to create humour"

"I do not understand how physical pain can promote a feeling of humour, Dr. and I do not believe that Miss Chapel and I are anything like Tweedle Dee and Dum. I am familiar with the characters and I see no reason to compare us..."

"Spock, you might not understand the reference on them but in my opinion the two of you are more alike than you know!" McCoy turned into Sickbay and dragging his still laughing nurse after him, waited until the Vulcan followed into the exam room before issuing a medical seal on the door. "Get up on the damn Bed and let me take a look at the two of you! I've never seen anything like it" as he sat Christine up on the bed and indicated a spot next to her for Spock

"Dr. Doolittle!" Christine blurted out "I loved that when I was little!" she was still holding her stomach in pain as her abdominal muscles continued to cramp up with excessive laughter. McCoy examined a Hypo and injected her with it; Christine started to slide off the table almost immediately

"Grab her Spock! Damn, that hit her awfully fast, she must be high on laughter!"

"High on laughter Dr.?"

"Yup, inebriated, goofy, silly- use whatever term, you want- I think the stress of the last week is getting to her" Spock looked blankly at the CMO then down at Christine as she lay limp in his arms, he looked closer and noticed some twitching, and asked

"Is this normal Dr.?" at which point her arms came up and her hands clasped him behind the neck and she opened her eyes

"Oh Spock, I am soooooooooooooooo sorry I kicked you in the balls! Why is your nose bleeding? Did I do THAT? Oh MY! I am such a bad nurse! Let me kiss it all better!" and she grasped him firmly with both arms and tried to pull his face down to her lips "Why is it we never kiss, really kiss, all on our own? Why is it always because of some other reason? I just want a little smoochie from you! Do your balls hurt? I can kiss them better.." as she shifted as if to turn over, Spock pushed her upright and removed himself from her immediate vicinity. Laying her down on the Biobed, he held her arms down and tried to appeal to the Dr. with a look to help him

"Did she really get you in the nuts Spock? Let me give you a quick scan, it sounds like you got the worst of this whole encounter; what with her trying to rip your clothes off again, then again, what was she doing in just her nightgown with you?" McCoy chuckled as the first incident at the pool came to mind, scanning quickly he did indeed find presence of several bruises and bumps on Spock "Seems like you two need to find a new way to communicate, this is no way to begin a relationship! So far we have bruised egos-2, missing swimsuits -2, broken noses-2, bruises where the sun don't shine-2, heck if this keeps up we might as well toss in your virginities" McCoy went white as he realized what he had just blurted. Looking from Spock to Christine he bit his lip, blushed and ducked his head "Damn I shouldn't have said that-stupid mouth- that was a total breach of medical protocol, you and your damn Vulcan physiology….."

"Dr., I do not think she heard. I believe she has 'passed out' as you call it" Spock pulled a blanket over Christine's inert form "but I do believe you need to practice a bit more tact in the future"

"Sorry Spock, I tend to blurt when I'm worried- bad habit- I know" he gave Spock a sheepish look "Let's patch her up while she's conked out, you two sure did a job on each other, I still can't believe what I saw with my own eyes. I did feel like I was watching the Three Stooges though!" Spock raised his eyebrow and made a mental note to view this form of entertainment. "Sorry about that last blurt, Heck if it wasn't for you and your weird membranes in places they don't belong…..never would have believed it if I didn't see it..ya' know, the nurses all think I'm a pervert cause anytime we need to do a Foley on you I won't let them touch you seeing as you got to know how to handle that wacky little..gee why don't you just get laid and give me a break, make my life easier ya' know…"

"Dr., I believe you are rambling again' Spock broke in on McCoy's rant before he really got carried away

"What? Oh, Sorry Spock, just thinkin' out loud" Bones shot an apologetic look at Spock, all the while placing both hands on either side of Christine's nose he gave a quick jerk and the sound that issued from fixing the displacement made Spock go a little pale. He started edging towards the door "Oh Hell NO, Spock! You stay right here! Don't tell me you're afraid of a little pain? Hand me that regenerator so I can finish this off before …DAMN IT!" Bones dropped the regenerator and made a grab for Spock as he again tried to sneak out of SickBay "You run out on me and I will tell everyone you were making out with Chrissy outside her Quarters!" he roared at Spock, who turned and looked carefully at the Dr., thinking of his options, obviously "Don't think I won't do it!"

"Dr., I fail to see why you should tell anyone that I was near Miss Chapel's quarters? And to deliberately create scenario that is incorrect is beneath you and it will.."

"Don't try to use logic on me, you pain in….."

"Leonard!? Why am I here in Sickbay?" Both Men turned to look at Christine as she tried to sit up, gasping when she saw stars "My head hurts, did I really break my nose?" she looked up at McCoy who couldn't help but grin.

"Sure did Honey, and you broke Spock's too. I was just about to fix him up!" With that comment he reached out and grabbed Spock by the shirt and maneuvered him over to the BioBed "Sit up Chrissy, let me get Spock fixed up, then I'll give you a shot for the pain" As Spock and Christine looked at each other curious as to what McCoy was up to, McCoy quickly maneuvered both hands to Spock's nose and with a quick movement, reinstated it to its previous aquiline status. Spock's eyes watered and McCoy grinned "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He reached over to his tray and picked up a Hypo and injected them both with the contents. As he watched them relax into a deep sleep and moved them both onto the BioBed side by side, he grinned to himself. Lowering the lights in Sickbay, he happily looked at the two sleeping and wondered what they would think when they woke up the next morning. Devil that he was he had adjusted the dosage for Spock to insure they should wake up at almost the same time. As he slipped out the door, he whispered "Sweet Dreams you two!"


	5. Chapter 5

Sweet Dreams

Christine was dreaming, not a very pleasant dream either; she was the Christmas turkey roasting in the oven and as she looked out the viewing window of the oven, she could see her Mother's Apron flashing before her eyes as she danced around the kitchen preparing all the fixings for Christmas Dinner. The one thing that was hardest to get used to being on the Enterprise was missing the family gathering at Christmas; other Holidays didn't hurt quite so much but Christmas was always the special one for her family- it was the day her parents first met and fell in love in the space of a few hours, so Christmas Dinner was always a reminisce of that day for the whole family.

Her parents had met at the Church Gathering to Celebrate the Lord's Birth; it was a special time for people of the Community- they dressed up in traditional clothing from when the Church had been founded and had a dance that began every year at 11 pm and lasted until dawn the next day. She had always loved the pageantry of the clothing, the play that started the night off, the foods that were served only on that special night….

_Lord she was hot _she started to toss and turn and realized that perhaps if she moved away from the coals just a little bit it might be cooler, all of a sudden she was falling, falling….she landed with a jolt on the hard cold floor and woke up startled with a loud yelp. Opening her eyes she realized she was in Sickbay, sitting on her bottom in her nightie, _What happened last night? Why am I here?_ Her memory of the night before came flooding back with a fury and she remembered kneeing the First Officer in his _delicates as Mom would say. _She must have been in pretty bad shape if she had to spend the night in Sickbay.

A loud groan disrupted her thoughts and she wondered why it came from the Biobed she had just been on; pulling herself to her feet she looked down onto the Biobed and realized there was someone else there under a thermal blanket, obviously not feeling very well either. _Who the heck can that be? _She reached out to draw the blanket down when suddenly the figure bolted up into a sitting position, threw the blanket off and knocked her over in their rush to get to the Head. As she landed once again on her bottom she realized from the brief touch that the person was Mr. Spock _Oh my Gosh What was he doing in my bed?_ From the sounds coming from the Head, she surmised that Leonard had given him some type of medication that had bothered his stomach yet again. She sympathized with him as she had had to deal with his many reactions to the meds which had not agreed with his hybrid physiology but that didn't explain why he had been in her Biobed!

"Christine? Is that you under the blanket?" the Sounthern drawl had just a bit too much humour in it this morning- she had the feeling if anyone knew why they were both in the same bed it would be her Superior Officer! Light flooded her eyes as the blanket was pulled off and she looked up into the bright blue eyes of one of her best friends, even if he was her meddlesome boss! "You OK, Honey. Why are you on the floor? " Suddenly, Leonard started to blush and averted his eyes, Christine looked down to realize she was starkers from the waist down where her nightgown was bunched and tangled with her arms, shoulders, even dangling from her head and behind Leonard she could see the figure of Mr. Spock as he stood in the doorway of the Head taking in the entire scene before his eyes with a trace of amusement in his eyes and making no effort to avert his gaze. Christine scrambled up and with effort managed to disentangle herself from her nightclothes and settle them back into place and gave both the males in the room a cold stare.

"First off you can tell me why I spent the night in Sickbay!" she rounded on McCoy as the safer option to vent on at this point.

"Chris, you reacted to the painkillers pretty severely and since it was easier to let you sleep it off here I left you in the BioBed" Bones gave her his most innocent grin, a red flag that he had been up to mischief of the worst sort "and when Spock went down the same way, he was too heavy for me to move alone so I left him there too"

"That's Bullshit, Leonard, you could have moved me to another bed, I'm not that heavy!" she felt embarrassed that Mr. Spock had been in close proximity and could have picked up on her emotions- what if she had had '_that dream'_ while he was beside her, she would have been mortified! Between her knowledge of the body, romance novels and her friends vivid descriptions during Girls' Night, she had a pretty good stock of dreams that went along with her romantic ideals and some were pretty shocking, even to her- she could not imagine what she might have broadcast to Spock if she had had any of those dreams, especially '_that one'_. Which reminded her

"And YOU!How come you always carry on about not needing sleep and yet I was the one who woke first and then you ran over ME on the way to the John! AND then you don't even have the decency to look away when I'm half starkers!" Spock took a couple steps back and shot both eyebrows up, she was broadcasting quite well her anger and her embarrassment only made it stronger. "YOU should have woken up first and gotten the Hell OUTTA my BED!" McCoy coughed loudly and she heard the snicker in his voice _'Oh so he thinks it's funny does he?'_ Christine turned to face McCoy and saw only his back as he took off thru the door to his office and she heard the lock engage. Furious, she started after him, only to have a hand on her arm pull her back and around to face Spock

"Christmas Turkey?" he asked her. Blushing furiously as she realized he had somehow picked up on her dream, she tore her arm from his grasp and stalked off out the door of Sickbay, heading to her quarters, determined to lock herself in and have a good cry. _'That's what I need, crazy insane bunch of idiots always trying to make fun of me and my damn sick lovelorn ways!'_ Christine didn't even notice as crewmembers, taking stock of her face and demeanor, leapt out of her way as she stomped her way thru the corridors, none of them wanting to even inquire if she was alright , when it was quite obvious she had a swarm of bees in her bonnet! Only to do a double take as they noticed the First Officer trailing along behind her calmly in her wake; they all couldn't wait to start the gossip mill this morning, for both the Head Nurse and First Officer had the same strange bruising by their eyes and she was in her nightgown while he was in a torn *_TORN!* _uniform. Whatever had been going on was ripe for speculation!

Christine slipped thru the door of her quarters not a moment too soon as she burst into tears, it was just not her day, week or month! _Best to take a shower and at least feel more Human_, she thought as she stripped off her gown and reaching into the stall, set the sonics to off and hit the water setting; wonderful recycling technology it was- that even on a Ship they could take a real water shower! Not often but enough to make it a true pleasure when needed. She grabbed her special toiletries she reserved for her "real" showers and slid under the hot water and felt an instant relaxation. _Now if only we could take a "real" bath, _she sighed. Quickly sudsing up her long hair as it was the hardest to rinse in the time allotted for a water shower, she wondered how she was going to live this new gossip down-she was sure that it was all over the ship now, she just had to find out how much of the real story was out there; maybe Nyota could…the beeping of the shower alarm alerted her to the time she had left so she quickly rinsed off and turned off the system. Grabbing a towel she wrapped her hair in it to dry and pulled on her toweling robe, a present from her parents several years ago. It was made of very heavy terry cloth and handsewn by her Mother as a Christmas Present; she snuggled down into it as she sat on the sofa in her main area and reminisced about Christmas at Home yet again.

Right now her Mother and her aunts and cousins and sisters would be doing the Holiday Baking- pecan tarts, apple pies, sugar cookies made in all sorts of shapes and decorated with coloured icing- and talking about the previous year and what they had to Thank For. Her Father would be cutting the firewood for the fires and doing up the traditional Yule Log decorated with pine and ivy and all sorts of paper decorations representing the Holiday, she wondered if her bother was going to make it home this year; Christmas on the Enterprise just wasn't the same-if only they had a dance- she thought dreamily, only to be dragged out of her fantasy by the repeated sound of her door chime going off yet again! _I've had more visits in the last week than I've had in a year! I swear I am going to beat that thing senseless!_ Hitting it with more force than necessary, the door release gave a little squeal as it released the lock and opened the door to reveal-_Who else?-_ Spock standing outside.

"May I come in?" he stood with his erect posture in a newly changed uniform "I do not wish to stand out here much longer as I have been requesting entry for approximately 8.24 minutes and crewmembers are starting to create what McCoy refers to as a "holding pattern" as their curiousity is increasing" she waved her arm to indicate he could. As he stood in the middle of her living room (if one could truly call it that) she plopped herself back down on the couch

"Take a seat Mr. Spock, you can have either the other end of the couch or the desk chair, take your pick, it's not much but it's all mine!" He raised an eyebrow at this and since he was obviously unsure where to sit, she made up his mind for him "Sit here on the couch, since we slept together last night it shouldn't make a difference, besides the desk chair isn't as comfy" and she reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him down to the couch.

"Miss Chapel, I should warm you, it is not recommended unattached females manhandle unbonded males.."

"Oh, Shut Up Spock, and it's Christine; you know you can use my name-I've heard you say it enough lately! So, what's the gossip like this morning? I know you've probably been able to pick up enough of it with those ears to have a pretty good idea of what everyone is saying!" she realized he had not pulled his hand from hers so she just continued to hold it to see what he would do. He looked into her face then down at his hand and back at her face with a raised eyebrow. She smiled at him and continued, "No wonder I thought I was roasting in the oven, I know from experience how warm your hand is, I should have realized you'd be a hot box to sleep next to!"

"Hot Box?"

"It's a slang for a "smokin' hot room"" she grinned "There's also another slang but I don't think you want to hear that one as it refers to female anatomy"

"No, Thank You, I do not wish to hear the other slang. Why would you compare me to a room full of smoke?"

"It's the reference, in my area it refers to a hot wood burning oven, some places it refers to an inhaled drug called Marijuana"

"Ah yes, Cannabis sativa, a plant in the hemp family which has hallucinogenic properties.."

"Spock, we don't need to discuss pot"

"We were discussing Cannabis…"

"Pot is another slang word. Now back to the gossip mongering shall we?" She shifted on the sofa and as she did her towel came lose, figuring her hair was close to dry for combing stage, she pulled off the towel and tossed it into her desk. She got up and stepping into the bathroom, grabbed her comb and returned to the sofa and sat back down, Slipping her feet back under her, she realized Spock was on his feet heading to the door. "Now where are you going?"

"Since you are intending to proceed with your toilette, I was proceeding to my quarters"

"Sit! I am just going to comb my hair, if you can't keep your libido under control then just say so!" Spock sat down on the sofa and watched her warily. "If we don't figure out now what is going on out there, we are up the creek without a paddle so just chill out for now and spill what it is you've heard in the last half an hour!" Christine started sectioning her hair to comb when Spock handed her some of her long sticks she would use to put up her hair as she worked it. She looked up at him thru the curtain of her hair, surprised he knew what to give her

"My Mother has long hair, I used to watch her tend it when I was small, she used similar sticks herself" Christine gave him a small smile, so she had something else in common with his Mother….

"The gossip as it was being reported this morning, is: we are having an affair, you are pregnant and hormonal, I am stealing you away from McCoy, we are have a multi-partner affair with either McCoy or Kirk as the third party, I am having a "Threeway" with you and Uhura and she is angry because I spent last night alone with you, Dr. McCoy was drugging us with aphrodisiacs in Sickbay last night, you are having a sex change, we are into "S&M" and everyone wants to know who the "Master" is and whether I look good in leather, the Vulcans are intending to creat a hybrid Human/Vulcan race to take over the Federation…"

"Stop, stop, oh my God! All that just in the last half hour?"

"Actually most of the gossip I heard was coming from my quarters to yours after I changed my uniform. The Gossip Mill is running quite 'wild' after the scene you created after leaving SickBay. Oh Yes, the last one I heard was that the Vulcan Ambassador and his Wife were coming aboard. I have no idea where that rumour came from at all. Christine, I do not think your hair meets regulations- it is far too long. Regulations state a female crewmembers hair must be no longer than shoulder blade length"

"Spock, if you are going to quote regulations about my hair then I am going to do the same about your firepot. If you keep your mouth quiet about my hair I'll…"

"Christine, I do not intend to report your hair length, in fact, it is quite beautiful. If my calculations are correct, it must be 160 centimeters or knee length?" Christine felt warmth bloom in her cheeks as she realized he was quite accurate as to the length and she never thought he would tell her her hair was beautiful. Suddenly, one of the things he had said jumped into her mind

"Your parents are supposed to be coming aboard?!"

"Commander Spock, report to Shuttle Bay in dress Uniform in 15 minutes" the ship wide comm unit blared.

"Oh My Gosh, it must be true! Why didn't you know about this? What are they going to say when they start hearing the rumours!? I'll never be able to face your parents once they hear about the pool incident!"

"Calm down Christine, if I know my Father's Network, he is already aware of the incident in the pool area. He always seem to have privy information and no-one has been able to discover his resources. As for whether they are coming aboard, I have not been informed of this by the Captain, so I doubt the rumour is true." Spock got up to leave, he had just over 12.83 minutes to get back to quarters, change and be present on the Shuttle Bay Deck. He reached put and touched Christine's face, imparting calm to her thru his touch, he felt regret at having to leave her presence. "You never answered me last night, Christine, would you attend the Orchestra Performance with me tonight? They are playing several pieces featuring Cello and Violin"

"How do you know I play ,Spock?" she looked at him curiously. He gave her one of his quietly blank looks but she detected the sparkle in his eye.

"I have my own Network, Christine, you might be surprised at some of the things I can find out. If I so desire."

And the door swished shut behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

While we Trekkies might feel the characters are family we all know that the Big Guys own them! We just borrow them!

Amazing how the story seems to write itself away from the plot I started with!

If I So Desire

"You did what!?" Jim looked askance at his CMO, hardly believing what he had just disclosed. "No wonder I couldn't find him this morning! I've been trying to find him to tell him his parents are coming on board on short notice and we have to deliver them to the UFP Conference on Occupation in 6 days. He's going to kill me as it is. He's still giving me the cold shoulder over the whole scene in the Mess Hall- he knows we've been laughing over it, can't get a thing past him, he's like a Bloodhound when it comes to knowing what's going on in this Ship! Maybe he knows the code planet, I've never even heard a code name like this before "

"Left them sleeping like Babies, it was the cutest thing" McCoy grinned, he was getting into the whole role of matchmaker and gremlin all mixed up in one package. Even though he'd be paying the price with his Christine, he felt it was worth it, although as a precaution he had moved his schedule physical to a Shift when Christine was off for the day. "Don't worry about Spock, I have a feeling he's going to be too busy to remember to torment us, what with Chrissy so PO'd and now having his parents on board, he'll be so busy being Mr. Stick up My A…"

"Dr., I should expect your language to improve expeditiously before the Shuttle is retrieved, Vulcans have superior hearing, as well you know" Spock managed to look more Vulcan than ever, which only managed to raise McCoy's dander

"Look here, you green blooded…" Jim rolled his eyes, this was not the time to get McCoy off on a rant and he placed his hand on his CMO's elbow to distract him

"Bones, now play nice, the Shuttle Bay is pressurizing, O.K.?" he gave him his happy grin and winked "We can all play later." With those words the doors to the Shuttle Bay opened and the Honour Guard moved in to present arms. The Senior crew moved into position to greet the Diplomatic Party, Jim and Bones both tugging down on their Dress Jackets out of habit. As the Vulcan Party reached them and exchanged pleasantries, Bones leaned over and whispered in Spock's ear

"So what's Santa going to bring you this year, Spock?"

Amanda looked over to the Dr., and smiling, she replied,

"Why Dr., I think Santa has already brought Spock's present-his Mother!" McCoy looked abashed at being caught teasing Spock, but the genuine warmth behind Amanda's smile took the sting out of her reprimand.

"Mighty pleased to see ya' again Lady Amanda, do Vulcans celebrate Christmas?" he grinned back at her twinkling blue eyes

"No Dr., however Spock does know about Christmas, it is the one Holiday I must have, despite my Husband's protests. Although it will be a great pleasure to spend it with others who genuinely appreciate it!" Amanda turned to her son and placing her hand upon his arm began to walk away "Now if you will excuse me Gentlemen, I would like a few words with my son." Spock led his Mother away, much to the surprise of the Senior Officers, however her Husband did not seem fazed by the abrupt departure in the least. He looked at Kirk and asked,

"Since my Wife has other concerns on her mind, would you be so kind to show our Party their quarters, Captain? " Jim looked at the imposing Vulcan and taking a few steps, indicated the direction they should go.

"It is wonderful to have you back on board Ambassador, I enjoyed our conversations during your previous journey with us, perhaps we can spend more time revisiting those subjects in the near future?"

"Indeed Captain, I anticipate it." As the Captain led the Vulcan Party off to their quarters, McCoy turned to follow the direction the First Officer and his Mother had taken; curiosity about her abrupt departure was making him antsy- he knew something was up!

"…so Mother, you have brought preparations as I requested?" McCoy couldn't believe he was eavesdropping and hadn't been caught yet by Spock's hearing-_he must be really absorbed, _thought McCoy.

"Yes Spock, I have arranged for The Surak to beam the necessary supplies over, but we must have the co-ordinates so they can do so and depart. Your Father was very co-operative to the whole idea."

"Mother, you should know he never denied you anything you ask at Christmas. He seems to benefit the most by his benevolent attitude towards your celebrating Christmas; it always puts you in good spirits for some time."

"Oh I do know he lets me get away with almost anything at this time of year, and I know I push the envelope but I truly expected him to balk at this expedition! I am almost worried he has something up his proverbial sleeve!"

"I agree Mother, let us go speak to Mr. Scott and get the transportation done. Tonight there is a performance of the Orchestra, I am sure you would like to attend; Christine has already agreed to attend with me- she would be happy to see you there. Should I reserve seats for you and Father?" McCoy made a point be at that concert even if it killed him, if he was lucky, he might even be able to score a seat near the Vulcans and their partners. He slipped off to his quarters to make sure he had something clean and appropriate to wear. Maybe he could even dig up some fine Scotch and get Scotty to drop some clues as to what Spock and his Mother were up to….

Christine was content, she had a wonderful seat for the acoustics and she felt very pampered tonight; Spock had surprised her at her quarters with his Mother and taken them to a lovely Dinner in the Mess, courtesy of the Vulcan Chef they had brought aboard with the Delegation. Sarek had only just joined them, presently sitting to her right while Spock sat to her left. Amanda was leaning over Sarek's arm to ask Christine which piece she was looking forward to hearing tonight.

"Pachelbel's Canon is D Major is my favorite piece to play, it is just so soothing yet so full of emotion, it is a very visual piece to me, it evokes a lot of memories" Christine replied

"I was unaware you played an instrument Miss Chapel, which one are you fluent it?" inquired Sarek

"Christine please, Ambassador, I play quite a few string instruments, Cello, Violin, Viola even Guitar; music is very important in our family, I began playing Piano at a very young age, my Nan said I was the youngest player she had ever had. My Father said I was playing on the Spinet before I was 2 years of age; my cousins and I had ourselves a small band when we were Teens- I am amazed our Parents even survived the four of us at times!" she smiled at the thought of her same age female cousins and all their brothers who were constantly on vigil to keep them out of trouble.

"Indeed, Christine? Why do you not play in the Orchestra then?" Sarek raised an eyebrow at her, reminding her so much of his son sitting next to her it was uncanny!

"I did not bring any of my instruments aboard, they are worth too much to me, sentimentally, to put at risk and when I discovered there was an Orchestra, I just have not had the chance to purchase any at any Stopovers we have made, classical instruments made of wood are not exactly in demand in deep space; I just cannot bring myself to play electronic ones. And I prefer not to share someone else's instrument, I can be pretty picky about the adjustments being altered once I have it tuned to my liking." She gave a soft smile as she remembered the fight she had had with one of her cousins who had messed with one of her instruments. Amanda leaned forward again and replied,

"I taught Spock to play Piano and Violin at quite a young age, it's a shame they don't have a Piano onboard for the Rec Room for entertainment; it has been so long since I heard him play, he is quite emotive in all his playing, despite what Vulcans say, I find their music quite emotional and moving."

"Amanda, you are always emotional" Sarek gave his wife a look that spoke volumes-he tended to express a lot in the looks he gave his Wife- there was never any doubt that Sarek felt quite a lot for his Human bondmate. The light is the room dipped twice, warning the occupants that the concert was about to begin; Christine settled back into her chair, her face expressing her eagerness for the concert to begin- _I've forgotten how much I have missed Music_, she thought.

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Esteemed Guests, we have tonight a varied program we hope you will enjoy. We have been looking forward to this Evening as we have been told that a member of the audience is a previous Winner of the Geneva Galactic Classical Instrumental Competition for Young Artists and we hope to ask her to join us later to play the piece that won her the Competition many years ago. In fact, she was the youngest artist ever invited to the Competition and still maintains the record of being the youngest ever to win! We have assurances that a Violin of Excellent standard is awaiting her if she should so choose to grace us with her presence here on stage during the Second Act but we will not reveal her name as we wish her to make the choice of her own free will. Now please, relax and enjoy the Evening!"

There was a stir in the audience as everyone wondered who it was that had won one of the hardest achievements in Music and whether she would come forward and play. Christine looked over at Spock who was examining his Program and marking specific pieces he obviously wanted to hear. Amanda whispered to Sarek quietly asking if he knew who the player was but before he could answer the lights dimmed and the curtains drew back to reveal the Orchestra. A hush fell as the Conductor appeared on the podium and the first strains of Vivaldi's Four Seasons filled the Chamber. Christine felt herself relax as the music flowed over her and was surprised when she felt Spock take her hand in his in the darkness; it was the last thing she expected him to do with his imposing Father so near.

The House lights rose in brightness as the short Intermission began, allowing them the time to get up and stretch their legs and work out any kinks. Christine decided to use the facilities and felt Amanda's hand curl around her elbow.

"I hope you don't mind me tagging along, at my age it's best to hit the Loo whenever I can; I need to stop hydrating as if I was still on Vulcan, my bladder is killing me!" The two women exchanged looks as the two Vulcan males exhaled in exasperation, obviously overhearing Amanda's comment. Once in the bathroom, Amanda laughed, "I'm sorry, I just have to get my little digs in with those two when I can; I have to have my fun when I can, often they are the ones baiting me so it's fun to turn the tables on them!"

"I can understand fully, Amanda. I don't know how you do it sometimes, surrounded by all of Vulcan at times! I know at times Spock is a trial to us here on the Ship!" She checked her makeup in the mirror and made a few minor adjustments to her gown, glad it hadn't wrinkled much.

"I wonder who it is they were talking about? I would love to hear her play, whoever she is. I can't imagine a winner of the GGCICYA onboard and no-one knowing! I hope they can convince her to come up, that is such an incredible award-a few years ago they asked me to be a Guest Judge and I declined the Honour; I just am not that capable of judging that kind of talent! Sarek felt I should have accepted but I found I felt incapable of being able to be impartial enough to judge well. "The lights dipped, warning them to return to their seats, so they quickly exited and found their escorts awaiting them at their seats. As Christine smoothed her gown preparing to sit she noticed McCoy seated behind them and smiled at him; he returned the smile with a grin. Leaning forward he asked Spock

"Isn't Chris gorgeous tonight Spock? She looks good enough to eat, doesn't she?" he winked devilishly at her

"Dr., I fail to see why you refer to women as food, it is illogical to do so" Chris giggled as Spock rose to the bait as usual.

"Spock, I don't know why, but women just cause Southern Men, like me, to slobber as if we were eating a good BarBQue, they just smell so good! Nah, not BarBQue that's too spicy- like a sweet pastry you sink your teeth into, soft and buttery with a lovely fruit to be savoured inside, but then again, you don't have a sweet tooth, so you'd have no clue what a good squishy piece of Heaven you're missing!" Christine choked on the metaphor that slid out of McCoy's mouth so innocently, and knew if she didn't stop this conversation she was going to be beet red very quickly. Turning in her chair she slid her high heel between the two chairs and rested it on McCoy's foot, giving him a warning glance. He straightened up in his chair and raised his eyebrow

"Just making conversation Chrissy" as he opened his program and studied it a little too fervently. Christine turned back forward and relaxed, she was not going to have anything ruin this night is she could help it! The lights once again dimmed and the announcer came forth once again to speak

"Welcome back and we hope you have enjoyed the performance so far. At this time we would like to see if the Lady we spoke of earlier would like to perform for us? We would like to open the Second half with her Solo but if she so deigns to decline we understand. We will give you a few moments to decide and if you choose to do so please stand so that we may escort you to the stage." Once again a murmur went up as the audience looked around, hoping the mysterious player would emerge to perform; Amanda looked at Sarek, seeing the expression on his face she had a suspicion he knew who the person was; Spock too had the all too innocent look on his face- something was definitely up here! Suddenly a beam of light scanned the audience and alighted on… no it couldn't be….. impossible…. amazing….. Christine stood and nodded as the light graced her figure; Spock stood and proffered his arm, which she graciously accepted and as he led her towards the stage, the stunned audience broke out into applause. Sarek was now standing and one of his Aides was walking from the back of the room to give him an instrument case; he was proceeding to the stage with it and handing it to Spock, who then presented the case to Christine.

Christine was blushing as all eyes riveted on her, to hide her embarrassment at being the center of attention she focused on the case across Spock's arms; opening it she gave a small gasp- this was no run of the mill Violin! Picking it up, she noted the label and felt her stomach fall just a little further to her feet, she gave a startled glance to Spock , who gave her a gentle nod and closed the case before she could place the Violin back into it. He and Sarek then returned to their seats, giving her no choice but to use the Violin they had placed in her trust. She plucked the strings, made some adjustments, ran the bow over the strings and retuned again, getting the finer sound she preferred. Content with herself, she faced the audience and spoke

"Thank you for your graciousness, it has been some time since I have played, so please bear with me! I will be paying Chopin's Noctourne, which I played at GGCICYA when I was 11 years old. I was honoured to win with this piece as it was a favorite of my Grandfather's-in fact he taught me to play it and I am thrilled to be allowed to play it on such an esteemed instrument tonight. Thank You, Ambassador, for its loan" Sarek bowed his head to her in acknowledgement and she raised the Violin to her shoulder and began to play. As the poignant music filled the room, the members of the audience were drawn into the passion of the Violinist and many who had never heard the piece declared it to be their new favorite; the statuesque Blond riveted them all as she poured her Heart into her playing. As she finished, the room was absolutely silent for a full minute until, as One, they rose in Ovation and deafened her with applause.

There were tears in her eyes as she bowed and as Spock made his way up to her, she smiled and everyone felt they were observing a very private moment between these two people. Those who felt Vulcans had no emotion realized they were very wrong and that the pride and passion in his eyes were only for the woman who had won all their hearts with her playing. She bowed again and as she moved to step off the stage, the Vulcan took the Violin from her and bent to speak quietly in her ear. She nodded and once again a new Instrument was brought to her and she sat upon a quickly appropriated chair and settled the Cello between her legs. Spock then nodded to the Conductor and as Christine drew the bow across the Cello's strings, the evocative sounds of Pachebel's Canon in D Major began to play; moments later. many patrons of the evening were in shock as Spock raised the Violin to his shoulder and began playing as well. Amanda felt tears spring to her eyes as she watched the two players center stage and felt that this moment had been too long in coming; Sarek reached over and squeezed her hand, leaning slightly he asked,

"Do you remember when you first played this music for me?"

"How could I forget, Sarek? It was the day that Spock was conceived, I know you all thought I was nuts to bring Music to the Laboratory but after all those failures I needed something to calm me. It seemed to work though, didn't it? Even when Spock was restless as a baby, all I needed to do was play this and he calmed; I think it is fitting he and Christine should play this together." Amanda whispered back and ever so slightly rested into his shoulder, drawing a deep breath she conjured up many memories linked to this particular piece. Absorbed in her thoughts she was surprised that the piece had ended and that, once again, a standing Ovation was taking place; Christine and Spock took their bows and after the Player reclaimed their Cello, they left the stage and proceeded back to their seats, Spock carrying the Violin and securing it in the case once they sat down.

Christine was inundated with crewmembers after the Performance during the small reception afterwards; many were impressed with her talent, the fact that she had won such a prestigious award and no-one had known about it! Sarek approached and offered her a glass of Wine; she took it gladly, thankful for the chance to have an excuse to not speak; nodding her thanks she spoke

"I would like to thank you, Sarek, for the use of your Violin, never would I ever to have expected to even see such a fine piece much less be allowed to play it. It was a pleasure to do so."

"It is not I you need to thank, Christine, I was but the means to transport the Instrument; it is Spock you must Thank, the piece belongs to him; he requested we bring it when we received confirmation to rendezvous with the Enterprise." Sarek fixed his gaze upon her and studied her directly for several minutes; spotting Spock and his Wife approaching he decided to proceed "I must inquire, Christine, since Spock seems to interested in pursuing a relationship with you-are you good enough for my Son? Do you think that your intellect and degrees are enough for him?"

Christine felt all the blood drain from her face and the wine glass slip from her nerveless fingers to shatter on the floor; she was obviously mistaken that she would be Welcomed by Spock's Father; she had felt that his approval on her on the Babel excursion would pave the way for her inclusion in the Family if Spock was of mind to pursue her. She realized the entire room was looking at her, wondering why she was looking so distraught; she turned and on legs that felt wooden fled the room with as much dignity as she could wrap around her shattered heart, tears clouding her vision, as yet again, a Vulcan had made her cry. She heard someone call her name but it made no difference to her, she continued on until the Reception was far behind her.

"SAREK! How dare you!" Amanda was seething but still managed to cloak her anger in a quiet tone, avoiding drawing attention to them; Spock rejoined the small group from the corridor, where he had watched Christine flee towards her Quarters, oblivious to his voice. "I cannot believe you! This is inexcusable! You are going to apologize to Christine for your boorish behavior!"

"No Amanda, I will not apologize to Christine, they were questions that needed to be asked" Sarek placed his glass down on the nearest table and left the room before his Wife or Son could harangue him more on his reasoning. He knew from Amanda's projection through the Bond he was not going to get off lightly and felt it best to remove himself from her vicinity before it became a public argument. She would follow soon enough.

"Spock, I am sorry that your Father is being a Bore. I will go talk to him; go see Christine and cheer her up, I am sure she will need it; what a way to end an evening!" Amanda laid her hand on Spock's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, and quickly she left; Spock _almost _felt sorry for his Father-Amanda on the War Path was not a pleasant experience. He bent to pick up the Violin case and started for Christine's quarters, hopefully he could effect some damage control.


	7. Chapter 7

Appreciate the reviews! However, as a fan of Dickens, I can utilize personal options and break some "rules", Capitols can be used for emphasis and semi colons can definitely be used in speech!

Damage Control

"Sarek, I cannot believe you were so callous! You cut poor Christine to the Quick; how DARE you treat her so?!" Amanda was on a bend, she had been yelling at her Husband for well over an hour; what annoyed her the most was the fact Sarek had said not a word in reply. She was beyond furious and was projecting so much emotion through their bond that Sarek was sorely tempted to rub his temples to relieve his headache but he dared not give her the satisfaction of knowing she was succeeding in distressing him. She stood stamping her foot and he dared not be amused at the sight.

"Are you finished yelling, my Wife?" Sarek waited to see her response- all she did was flounce and glare at him some more; it was now his turn to speak, obviously she was no longer speaking to him. "If I had not asked her those questions, do you think she would have been ready for the more difficult ones that would be asked if our Son continues on his present objective? If they want to pursue this avenue, Amanda, they must be prepared." Amanda looked askance at Him; she was definitely ready to listen

"Prepared? What do you mean?"

"Amanda, have you forgotten what it was we faced when we married? You compared it then to the Fires of Hell; would our Son and Christine face only worse? I know I have not been the most understanding of our Son; I was wrong to assume his physiology was entirely Vulcan and could conform to Vulcan teachings with no difficulty; the new scans of his physical makeup have proven otherwise- he has very unique blending's in some aspects, especially his brain functions. How were we to know that some of the solutions the Geneticists created would make Spock so unique our technology at the time could not even see the differences? Spock has encountered prejudice his entire life, based on the assumptions he will show the mixed heritage he has, I was wrong is making him choose either one or the other; he has proven himself better than Vulcan in its entirety; he is now the ideal that represents Vulcan, yet he is torn by his Heritage. He represents IDIC in his embodiment yet all judgments are based not on the blending of his Parents but the failure to be either Human or Vulcan alone. He has found acceptance on Vulcan thru his scientific abilities yet there is still the assumption that he will betray Vulcan thru lack of control."

"All Vulcans experience loss of control at some time, yet Spock is not to be allowed even that." Amanda interrupted Sarek "He is a Martyr to a cause that is impossible to achieve, even those who achieve mastery of emotions at Gol have the sin of Pride to show that, even in that goal, they have not completed mastery; I have never understood the fanaticism of that Discipline. I highly doubt Surak expected Vulcans to go as far as they have done on their control of emotions; their inability to see their extremism is what fails Vulcans ultimately- I have studied the ancient texts, as well you know, and I do know there was a period where there seemed to be a balance; allowing some emotion into their daily lives seemed to create a lack of Pon Farr whereas Modern Vulcan seems more plagued by the violence it brings than ever before. It used to be the Battles to attain mates that was the deadly issue not the mating season itself!" Amanda knew she was not going to even get Sarek to debate this aspect of hers; the taboo on Vulcan about all things to do with Biology and Reproduction was too complete; yet she remembered how detailed the Healers were about it when trying to dissuade her from marrying Sarek-in her mind highly hypocritical!

"Amanda, we are getting off topic; as I was saying, if Spock and Christine wish to pursue a relationship then they will be facing more than just the disapproval of the Clan, they will be facing the Disapproval of all Vulcan since Spock and his Children will inherit the Leadership of the Council-What Clan would want the Leadership to be headed by a Clan Head that is more Human than Vulcan? This is what they will be facing, Amanda, and if they want to be together they must be willing to stand up and fight for their rights, not just their own but their Children's rights, not just to Inherit but to be counted as Members of the Clan itself! Until Spock and Christine face the hardest Hurdle first and succeed, they will not be prepared to stand against the disapproval of the Council."

"And you, Sarek, are that Hurdle, aren't you? Spock has never stood up to you, ever, except for enlisting in Starfleet and he never once verbally defended himself even then, and you doubt he can now, don't you?" Amanda understood exactly why Sarek had been so callous now.

"Yes Amanda, if Spock cannot Defend Christine to me as his choice, he will not be able to stand against the Council or the Clan, as we did when we Bonded" Sarek was unprepared when Amanda gave him a hug

"Sarek, I love you, you know that? I am sure Spock will be able to stand up for Christine without a problem" she smiled at him. Sarek knew she would not like what he must say next

"Amanda, you cannot tell him anything I have just told you; he MUST do it for his own reasons. I forbid you to guide him in this, you must let Spock and Christine find their own way, just as we did over 40 ears ago." He touched her cheek, and felt her spirit deflate" You know you must not interfere, don't you?" Amanda sighed and nodded her assent-_This will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but Sarek is right in this._ Sarek hugged her back and she felt his sorrow at having to deceive Spock and Christine in this; he greatly admired Christine and to deliberately hurt her feeling was not his nature-it was what made him a good Ambassador. BUT she could guide in other ways…. Sarek raised his eyebrows; he had heard that last remark through their bond; it was time to guide her thoughts to other things….

"Spock!" Spock stepped to one side of the corridor, waiting for his Mother to catch up to him "Has Christine spoken to you yet?" Spock's shoulders drooped and she knew the answer before he could speak

"No Mother she has been avoiding me and McCoy will not release the SickBay staff shifts to me as required by regulations. He is voicing medical privilege over them at the moment."

"Don't worry, Spock, she will accept your calls once she has calmed down, right now she is hurt by your Father's words; she cannot hide away forever." Amanda gave an encouraging smile

"Mother, I seem to recall you didn't not speak to Sarek for a month once; Project Occupation is set to launch in 5 days, what am I supposed to do if she is still not speaking to me?"

"Then Spock, you must show her how much she means to you, by doing something she would never expect you to do. Us Ladies can always be romanced back to speaking, even if we are still mad. After all, we are illogical creatures, are we not?" Amanda patted Spock on the arm "However I have a lot to get done, and standing here talking to you is not going to bring it all together in time; I must be going" and off she went parting the crew members as she hurried along the corridor.

"Mother" she turned to look at Spock; raising an eyebrow he pointed down a different corridor "You need to go that way." Crew members could have sworn they heard him add sotto voice _Why is it she will always insist on going the wrong way?_

Christine sat at the chair opposite McCoy and gave him a glare; he was driving her nuts! If she had to listen to another one of his ramblings about emotionally stunted Vulcans she was going to beat him over the head with his Medical Diploma; she wondered if it was sealed to the wall with a field or just hung there with one of his little doodads he was so proud of, he noticed her line of vision and jumped up and grabbed it off the wall-no field then- and placed it into the desk drawer and shut and locked it.

"Look Chrissy, no reason to hide in your room tonight, I'll take you to dinner and Heaven Help any Vulcan who tries to sit at our table! You can't let what his Father say drive you away from socializing with the crew; its them damn Vulcans' fault; snobs that they are-they think no-on is good enough for them but their own frigid women!" Christine felt her eyebrows rise-had Leonard forgotten he was talking about the first Vulcan to marry outside of his Species? She shook her head and got up to head to her quarters but Leonard was not giving up and followed her right to her door; she faced off with him in front of it.

"I am not joining you and the Captain at the Senior table, I will never sit down to eat with any of them! If Spock can't stand up to his Father I can't see how we can even pursue anything outside a professional relationship, it would be impossible for him to pick me over his Father or even Vulcan duty, then I don't want to even look at any of them. I am so angry at them!" Christine flushed as she thought how cruel Sarek's words had been; he obviously thought no Human Female was good enough for his Son! _He will never, ever, be content with Spock! Poor Spock has to compete with an unholy vision of a Perfect Vulcan- no wonder he fled to Star Fleet! Everything Sarek has done is a non-issue to Sarek! Does he not see his own hypocrisy?_ Christine felt herself flush with anger, she was so tempted to release her anger on the Ambassador but reason told her she just might burn her bridges if she did so. She was still angry at Spock for not saying a word in her defense. _Typical Christmas on the Enterprise!_ "Leonard, do you mind leaving, please? I am not fit to be anyone's company tonight, I just might clobber anyone"

"OK Chris, point taken, just make sure you eat, and I'll see you in the morning" McCoy wisely left her to stew and hoped she would at least be amenable to eating in the Mess in the next few days, especially with Christmas around the corner, he sure didn't want her to miss out of the Secret Santa celebration; it was one of the redeeming activities for the last few years that made Christmas away from home at least bearable. As she opened her door he leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek, "See ya in the mornin' Darlin'" She just rolled her eyes at him; he knew he was getting nowhere.

Joining the Senior table he was surprised by the absence of the Vulcan party, turning to Kirk he raised his eyebrow in an unspoken question; Jim looked first at Spock, then at the rest of the table before replying.

"Don't ask me where they all are, I have a feeling Sarek is up the creek without a paddle and his entourage is very aware of it and aren't showing their faces because they're afraid they might be next!" he grinned "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the Ambassador's quarters!" Spock looked slightly startled at Jim's answer

"Captain, believe me, you do not want to be there. My parents are quite well known for their 'debates' and I highly doubt you will see any member of their entourage until my Mother has finished with Sarek; I was witness to many of them as a child- it is NOT enjoyable as you seem to think it is" Spock looked about to continue when his eyebrows rose and Jim and Bones looked in the direction his eyes seemed frozen to; the Ambassador and his wife were entering the Mess, looking as if there had been no upset just the evening before and the fact that the Ambassador had been conspicuously missing for the whole day, while the Lady Amanda had been seen all over the ship, was absolutely a normal occurrence. Amanda looked entirely too happy and all three Command Officers looked at each other, _Something is definitely up!_ they all thought, wondering what was going to happen next. Sarek handed his wife into a chair and she looked around the table and smiled.

"Good Evening, and how has everyone's day been?" Immediately all eyes of the Command Crew were on her, she had definitely startled them; as they all looked from one to the other it was obvious none had a coherent word to say. She took pity on them "Spock, I want you to know that I have been working on that issue you contacted me about and I feel we are coming close to finishing it. Could you join me after Dinner and let me show you the progress? I am sure you will find it quite satisfactory" Spock nodded his acquiescence; the members of the Command Crew looked at him curiously; after the party finished their meals, observing Vulcan silence at the meal as per tradition, Jim decided to break the silence before anyone commented on Sarek's folly at the Orchestra reception.

"Ambassador, when are we going to rendezvous for the Occupation Conference? I have not received final data from Star Fleet as of yet?" Sarek raised an eyebrow

"That information shall be divulged at the proper moment, Captain. I have observed that the crew seems to be making ready for your Christmas Observance, a highly illogical celebration if you ask me" Sarek looked at his wife with a glance that spoke of a long standing debate on the subject; before it could be commenced, Scotty stood and excused himself, followed by Uhura, Chekov and Sulu in rapid succession. Spock then stood and assisting his Mother, left the room with her. Kirk looked at Sarek as Sarek looked at the Captain "Did I say something remiss, Jim?"


	8. Chapter 8

Say Something

Spock stood in the Shuttle Bay and was rendered speechless for once; everything was coming together under his Mother's direction as he had requested.

"It's a fantasy come true, Spock, how did you ever come up with the idea?" Uhura asked. Spock looked down at her and gave his eyebrow a slight lift- she knew the response all too well and that he was not going to say a word and play innocent. She sighed and turned back to the scene unfolding before them "I am amazed you and your Mother have managed to pull this off without anyone knowing, it is going to be the Best Christmas we have had on ship! Have I ever told you how much I love you Spock?" as he opened his mouth to reply she rushed to finish "Figuratively, not literally, Spock!" Amanda chuckled next to them and rubbed her hands together

"Well, Children, we must get back to work; as of tomorrow, we only have 4 days to get this all together and we still have to make a rendezvous happen as well! It isn't going to happen on its own!" Uhura watched as Amanda rushed off to talk to Scotty and Chekov, she hoped she had as much energy in a few years! Spock looked at Uhura and asked

"Nyota, I would like to request a 'favour' of you, do you mind if we discuss this in a more private location?" she looked up at him and her curiosity was at an all-time high

"Of course, Spock, let's go to my quarters; no one will disturb us there." Amanda watched as her son left with the dark skinned woman and a soft smile lit her face; _everything is going to plan, well almost! _She turned to see Sulu attempting to move a heavy prop and raising her hand indicated to Chekov to help; soon the stage would be set and the real fun would begin!

Sarek was sitting at the desk in their quarters when she entered, she felt his shields drop and his warm affection swept over her, bolstering her spirits; she was tired and knew she needed his support for the next stage. She smiled at him and extended her two fingers, he responded in like and she felt content that all was well between them; she had been neglecting him for the last three days and trusting him to do the job required of him. "Has Jim become suspicious at all?" she asked her Husband

"Not at all. He dislikes not being informed by Star Fleet and it is becoming more apparent in his behavior; he is becoming somewhat irritable" Sarek lifted his eyebrows as Amanda slipped out of her outfit and let it slide to the floor; she knew that Sarek disliked having to keep his cards close to his chest but since they had embarked on this with Star Fleet's approval to raise the morale of the Enterprise crew, he was less likely to 'spill the beans' as she liked to say. "I will never understand that euphemism, my dear" _Well stop listening to my thoughts! _Amanda smiled at her Husband to take the sting out of her tone, he merely gave her a disapproving glance, as usual it had no effect. "Has Spock been able to speak with Christine or is she refusing to acknowledge him still?"

"Oh he has made no success on that score, when you go all out dear, you tend to trample everything flat!" she sat down opposite him "However, we just have to make sure she shows up, I am hoping he can get her to listen to him once she is there!"

"How do you propose he will be able to get her to listen if she will not even remain on the same side of the door as him?" Amanda looked at him and laughed

"Your son asked the exact same question! I told him if he cannot get her to talk to him he needs to MAKE her listen, he needs to make a romantic gesture that will melt her heart so she will hear what he has to say!"she winked at Sarek and he shook his head

"Amanda, you say I have fail at romance and you expect Spock to do this? I fail to see the logic in your suggestion"

"I have faith our son will figure it out!" Amanda kissed Sarek on the cheek "I managed to teach you a few things, I'm hoping our son has a little bit of myself in him! Now , did you not promise me some champagne and strawberries?" Sarek stood and crossed around the desk and lifting Amanda into his arms, carried her into the bedroom "Sarek! Where did you manage to get whipped cream!"

The ship corridors were buzzing at the invites that all members had received that morning; embossed invitations to a Holiday Gala had been placed on every crew members nameplate outside their quarters, all were questioning where they had come from, except of course the few crew members who had been in on it. They all eagerly read them to each other and it was apparent by how many were in attendance at the tables, that the invitees couldn't put them down. Leonard was presently reading his own to Jim

"Your presence is requested at the Holiday Gala at 11 PM on December 25 (Christmas Day) Formal Wear is required. No uniforms please. There will be entertainment, refreshments and dancing. Special guests of your acquaintance will be attending.

McCoy looked at Jim across the table "So, if you have no idea what's going on then who the Heck is at the bottom of it?" Jim looked thoroughly confused.

"I wish I knew, Bones, if I didn't know better I'd say that Amanda and Sarek were in on it but there is no way they could convince Star Fleet to be a part of this, I just wish I knew where the we were rendezvousing with the other Delegates."

"Oh forget about that for now, Jim, look at this invitation! Raised copperplate on real linen paper- this is a class act! Whoever is behind this put their money where it counts-you don't see stuff like this much anymore! And well thought out too, they even have the invites according to shift status- I've looked at a few and each shift has a different time to attend, beginning at 8 am Christmas Day, so no-one gets left out! Formal Wear required too-no uniforms- whoever is putting on this shin-ding wants no trace of rank or regulations! But who the heck can be the Your Special Guest's? I know a lot of the Nurses are scrambling to find something to wear, they are really excited about the whole thing" McCoy knew of only one person who was not planning on attending and he was determined to change her mind though!

"Spock, how nice of you to join us! It has been a few days since I have seen you outside of Alpha shift- have you managed to get Christine to talk to you yet?" Jim wasn't happy so he was being more than a little snarky to his best friend. Spock sank into the chair beside him, plunking- _Plunking- _his tray down and looking quite tired as well.

"No, Jim, I have not been able to talk to Christine, she is avoiding me and will not even remain in the same room I am in. I do not know how to get her to acknowledge me." Spock actually sighed; both Jim and Leonard looked at him, startled by his unusual behavior. "Mother told me I need to make a romantic gesture that will melt her heart, however, I have no experience in how to accomplish it" Jim opened his mouth

"No, Jim, your idea of romance is NOT what Spock needs here" McCoy interrupted him before he could say a word "Spock, you need to show her how you feel, it's the only way, she is not going to accept any less! You have to think something grand, like, like, Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, the Taj Mahal, Romeo and Juliet!"

"Dr., were those not all failures? I seem to recall….."

"Shuddup, will ya? You're not getting the point, it's all about romance and getting the girl through some grand, sweeping emotion or event! Granted the Taj Mahal was for a dead wife, but it has stood out in history as part of a great love story! You need to do something that will make Chris listen, something that is so not you that it will shock her into staying still long enough to listen to you!" McCoy was getting excited, he could not think fast enough-_if there's something we do right in the South, it's romance!_ He snapped his fingers "I've got it! We're all going to the Gala tomorrow, you need to find a song to play for her! That'll sweep her off her feet and you'll get the girl!" Spock raised his eyebrow

"Dr., I do not see how my playing the Vulcan Lyre is going to 'sweep her off her feet" McCoy gave Spock a look of annoyance

"Spock, not you, you silly fool! You need to find a song that will tell her everything you feel about her, something that will make her listen to what she truly means to you. You HAVE to find 'Your Song'" McCoy was beaming, he knew music was the way to get to Christine and he was going to make sure Spock knew it "You've heard her play, music is very important to her, you should be able to find a song that will help you along" Spock thought about McCoy's words

"I do not think classical music will work, will it Dr.?"

"Nope you got to look at love songs, Spock. Find one that says everything you have never said to her, how you feel, think, want out of your lives. You find the song and we'll make sure she gets there!" McCoy looked at Jim expectantly

"Oh No, I am NOT going to order her to attend! Keep me out of this scheme! I have to get medical care from her just as much as you two; I am not going to risk ticking her off if you guys screw this up!" Spock and McCoy looked at Jim with barely concealed amazement, who ever thought a woman could scare him? Spock decided to make it easier on his friend

"I do not think getting Christine to the Gala will be an issue, so do not worry about that issue, Dr., Jim. I must explore this 'your song' aspect, it is an interesting phenomenon that a human female can be won over by a musical piece. I will be in my quarters examining the music catalog in order to find one for the musicians" Spock rose and left the Mess, the Captain and CMO looked at each other, Jim spoke first

"Bones, he acted like he knew exactly how he was going to get Christine to the Gala…...wait a minute…how does he know there will be musicians there? Does he know what is going on!?" Both Officers jumped to their feet and fled the room, hot in pursuit of one sneaky Vulcan, who, upon realizing his slip, barricaded himself in his quarters with only a voice override on his door.

The rest of the day proceeded with alacrity, with Bones making several trips to the Bridge to bother Jim about what they were going to wear. Jim was trying to figure out exactly what was happening under his very nose and how it had occurred with him clueless; it was only when Sarek entered the Bridge for the tour Jim had promised him that Jim realized hwo much time he and Sarek had spent together the last few days and the light bulb went off in his head.

"Sarek, just the person I wanted to see! So how is it I still have no idea when we are rendezvousing with the other Delegates and since it is Christmas tomorrow I sure hope we don't have to do it then!" Sarek looked sharply at the Captain and knew the game was up; at least it was time to play his hand.

"Jim, if you would be so kind at to proceed to these co-ordinates and drop out of warp? We will be rendezvousing in precisely 2.687 hours with the Delegates ship for Operation Occupation." Jim looked relieved to finally have something to do,

"Sulu, Chekov, program these co-ordinates and take us to the meeting place! Thank you, Ambassador!" Sarek nodded and exited the Bridge. The Command Crew all felt relief at finally knowing where they were going, however their curiosity about the Why was still rampant; it would only get heightened when they dropped out of warp to see one sole ship in view, which looked very familiar. Chekov turned to face the Captain's chair

"Kiptain! It is the Surak! Vhy is it here? Dis is very Suspicious,Sir!"


	9. Chapter 9

Departing from Canon and going AU as we trot along…..a shorter chapter than usual…

Very Suspicious

"The Surak is hailing us Captain" Uhura turned to face the Captain and he could swear there was a smirk on her face.

"Open frequencies, and let's see what's next then, shall we?" He was finding it hard to hide his impatience and started to pace on the deck near his chair; something wasn't quite Kosher, as his Mother would say.

"On screen, Captain" Uhura replied, as the large screen began to form the face fo the Vulcan Captain of the Surak.

"How nice to see you again, Sprik" _rhymes with prick, _thought Jim, which gave him a chuckle" And what do we owe this pleasure?" He had to be careful, his peevishness was beginning to show, but then again, he had been going in circles for the last 5 days and his patience was spent. He looked at the screen, awaiting a reply from the middle aged Vulcan, when a voice he did not expect to hear came across the frequency.

"James Tiberius Kirk! I raised you to have better manners than this! I am ashamed of you, you are being a total nincompoop! You apologize right now! This young man has traveled all the way to Earth to bring me here and you are behaving like you are 10 years old and your brother just ate the last cookie!" Jim staggered to his Chair and sank down into it, not believing his eyes as his Mother came into view on the screen. Feeling a blush climb up his face as all hands looked towards him in amusement, he took a deep breath before addressing the last person he expected to encounter in space.

"Mother, what a surprise! What are You doing here?" As always, his Mother's face softened into a dimpled smile as she looked upon her son's face.

"Coming for Christmas! I received a wonderful invite from a friend of yours and how could I refuse first class accommodations! Besides I was told 'No' was not an option!" Jim looked over at Sarek, who gave a negative nod-it wasn't the Ambassador- to his questioning look, who was responsible? Uhura spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Captain, your Mother is charming, I can see where you inherited your looks" she spoke sotto voice so only the Bridge personnel could hear her. Jim gave her his grin(so similar to his Mother's!) in reply; presently the Vulcan Captain reappeared on the screen, obviously awaiting permission to offset his passenger. Jim sat back in his chair and met his gaze squarely.

"Permission is granted to beam over your passenger, Sprik. We'll take it from here! And Thank You." Turning his Chair to face Uhura "You may authorize Scotty to commence transport!"Uhura gave him a nod, glad of the wording,

"Immediately Captain, I am sure Mr. Scott will be glad to initiate transportation!" Uhura hailed the Chief to begin 'Operation Transport', keeping her smile to herself, she knew that the Captain would be very surprised to find that more than just his Mother was coming aboard! Scotty's 'Aye Lassie' told her he was just as glad as her that the order had been so broad; she had had an open channel to him as soon as they made contact with the Surak, he had heard every word spoken on the bridge in the last few minutes. The Captain rose from the Chair, straightened his shirt and stepping down, indicated the Ambassador proceed with him.

"Mr. Sulu, you have the Con" as he swept off the bridge with as much dignity as he could after being berated by the only person who could get away with it and not expect retribution. "Now, Ambassador, I will forgive you for being so secretive, I am beginning to understand how important this mission was. Now, tell me how you managed to get Starfleet to agree to my Mother being allowed access to Enterprise for Christmas!" There was a collective sound of held breaths being released, as those on the Bridge in the know realized that they were free of suspicion.

As the door to the transporter room opened, Jim was treated to the sight of his Mother being escorted off the platform by none other than his CMO.

"Bones, what are you doing here?" McCoy looked up and grinned

"Uhura hailed me and told me you had a very special guest coming on board and since you weren't going to get to Transport quick enough, could I be here to greet her since Sickbay was close, might I say Jim, you should have told me your charming Mother was coming aboard?"

"If only I had known, Bones, I was as shocked as you when she spoke to me form the Surak!" Reaching out, he pulled his Mother into a hug and kissed her on the cheek "Mother, it's been too long, I've missed you!"

"I'm not the one who's too busy to come home more often! I should lay you over my knee for not coming home last time you were on Earth!" She affectionately swatted her son and noticing the Vulcan behind her son, stepped forward. "You must be Sarek, I must Thank You for providing such a lovely ride to my son's ship and for talking Starfleet into allowing this…" Sarek gave a quick bow as he interrupted

"Mrs. Kirk, it is my pleasure, when the UFP council heard the need to improve a certain Captain's morale, we felt obliged to reciprocate" Jim felt he was at a loss as his Mother and Sarek exchanged pleasantries; something else was up- he was sure of it! A look passed between the couple chatting and suddenly his Mother turned to him and laying her hand on his arm began to guide him towards the door.

"James, I am famished! I am sure you have food on this ship, do your dear mother a favour and feed me! Now I brought a lovely gown to wear to the Party, I also brought your father's tuxedo, it should fit you quite well! I cannot wait 'til morning! I brought you a present! Goodness, where am I going to sleep tonight? I hope you keep your room cleaner than you did as …" as the door slid shut behind them, the Chief of Engineering exchanged a grin with the Vulcan Ambassador, before taking up his post behind the transporter console

"Shall we get to work, Sarek?"


End file.
